"Are you sure about what you're saying?" She inquired, displaying an angry and authoritative expression that starkly contrasted with her previous demeanor, while the tension at the table became palpable.
"I'm sure! You can trust me, don't worry!" Lucca responded with a seriousness that reflected the gravity of the situation.
Upon noticing the serious expression on Lucca's face, the entire group grasped the seriousness of the situation, as he rarely assumed such a demeanor. Ana, acknowledging the change, commented, "It's not common for you to be like this, so it must be true!" She looked at Alice with a mixture of apprehension and fear, asking, "What do we do now?" Uncertain about the next step to take.
Lucca believed that Alice's personality resembled those of famous novels. To him, she embodied the archetype of the heroine, always ready to protect the innocent. By revealing his suspicions about the possible assassination of Anthony, Lucca foresaw that Alice would enter into an internal conflict, grappling between her protective instinct and the complexity of the situation.
Alice was visibly concerned, and everyone in the group could perceive that. Her inability to face the group directly revealed clear unease: she looked down, furrowed her brow, constantly raised her eyebrows, and shifted positions, conveying her restlessness.
"Who are the assassins?" Alice inquired, seeking a deeper analysis of the situation and exploring ways to save the young man.
Lucca responded enigmatically, "I think they'll be members of his own group," without offering many clues about the origin of his information.
Nolan, perplexed, asked, "How are you sure that it's people from his own group planning to assassinate him?"
"A bird told me," replied Lucca, sporting a mysterious smile, withholding further details from his groupmates.
Lucca's cryptic response raised suspicion, prompting the group to insist on seeking more information. Lucca, maintaining his enigmatic stance, repeated his previous answer, causing them to abandon the attempt to extract additional details, realizing it was a futile endeavor.
Faced with this impasse, Alice posed the question: "What will we do to protect him?" Uncertainty loomed over the group, and the need to find a solution to avoid the young man's potential tragic fate became increasingly pressing.
"Let's attack them now!" exclaimed Ivy, wearing a mischievous smile as she slammed her glass on the table, raising her voice above the rest of the group.
"Shhh! Speak more quietly, motherfucker," reprimanded Ana, putting her finger to her own lips to emphasize the need for moderation.
Shortly after Ana's use of inappropriate language, she received a slap on the head from Alice, who stated, "Watch your language! Don't forget that you're of nobility," with an angry expression, emphasizing the importance of decorum.
Lucca, amused by both situations involving the women, pondered, "I think we should be vigilant when they go to the field, as it's the only place where a death can occur in this camp!" suggested, alerting the group to the need to be vigilant in the face of imminent danger.
"This will consume a lot of time and points! We're considering saving someone we don't even know. Are we going to try to rescue someone based on a mere assumption?" questioned Nolan, outraged by the situation they found themselves in, expressing his frustration with the possibility of sacrificing resources for an uncertain cause.
"It's my duty! I can't just let an innocent person die!" expressed Alice, showing a revolted expression in response to Nolan's comment, reinforcing her moral commitment.
Nolan, realizing he wouldn't succeed in convincing Alice and the rest of the group to ignore the situation of the unknown boy, resigned himself to the idea of collaborating to save someone they didn't even know.
The group embraced Lucca's suggestion, recognizing that it was indeed the only way for a murder to occur in this camp, justified and without raising suspicions, choosing the hunting field as the stage.
Lucca already regretted not suggesting to the group to head to the field earlier. Going earlier would have allowed them to engage in hunting, earning more points and facilitating better surveillance of Anthony's group. However, a dilemma emerged within this plan—how would they determine the group's location if they went earlier? What if the murder had already transpired? If not, how could Lucca conceal the fact that he possessed a map to aid Anthony, something he wished to avoid. The intricacies of timing and logistics presented complex challenges that weighed heavily on Lucca's decision-making.
So, they decided to head to the field and finally found the long-awaited prey. Lucca reiterated to the group the importance of their vigilance, assuring them that he would keep them informed of any developments.
However, reality brought unexpected challenges. Lucca could barely discern the exact location of Anthony's group on the map. Despite attempting to upgrade to expand the field of vision projected on him, the high cost rendered this option unfeasible, given the scarcity of tokens. He was, therefore, taking a significant risk by proceeding with this decision.
{You defeated a level 49 harpy}
After the successful hunt of the harpy, Alice asked Lucca, "Did they move?" seeking information about Anthony's group's movements.
Lucca responded cautiously, "Let's see!" and headed towards Anthony's group's last known position. Even before taking 20 steps, he managed to spot them. He tried to maintain a concerned expression to avoid suspicion, but internally he breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon arrival, they observed that Anthony's group had not yet completed the hunt, but they were about to. Lucca's group decided to stay in place, curious to see if they would attack when the prey was killed. Surprisingly, they chose to move on to another prey. Lucca commented, "It seems they won't attack now!" before starting the journey towards the sanctuary.
The group, initially suspicious, chose to focus on the subsequent hunts and the ranking desired by Alice, who pressured everyone to achieve the goal of securing the first place.
And so, on that morning, the group successfully defeated four prey, securing their well-deserved place on the academy's employee board.